Features - Page 183

It is safe to say, Ai Weiwei is a fan of sunflowers more than most. Indeed, his installation in the Tate Modern Turbine Hall almost a decade ago of 100 metres of hand painted sunflower seeds is perhaps one of the most prominent horticultural gigs of recent memory. Now, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Weiwei has turned his attention to replicating sunflower seeds in another form – on face masks.

For the past century, the last night at the Proms has been one of the highlights of the cultural calendar. Now, amid the outbreak of Covid-19, it is unclear precisely how the Royal Albert Hall intends to cope with the brave new world in which they find themselves.

The Treasury has announced that 8.4 million workers are now covered by the UK furlough scheme.

The government’s current response to Covid-19 is unlikely to receive a standing ovation from theatrical companies. This is in part due to the fact there has been a failure to respond with due financial support for such bodies, but perhaps more due to the fact that unless such considerable measures are taken, there will simply be nobody left to clap.

Alessandro Michele is a change maker. Yesterday the creative director of Gucci announced the unthinkable to fashion world – as of next year, the house will only undertake two shows as opposed to their usual five.

The prime minister has ruled out an inquiry into the conduct of Dominic Cummings, instead claiming that it was time to “move on” from the debate.

For the first time, one of the President's tweets have been given a Twitter "fact-check" label, warning that this particular tweet was "unsubstantiated".

In January of this year, Tyree Boyd-Pates joined the staff of Autry Museum of the American West following a successful tenure at the California African American Museum. His new role as associate curator could not have come at a more important time, coinciding almost directly with the outbreak of Covid-19 across the US.

The outbreak of Covid-19 could see theatre companies kiss autographs goodbye, according to Andrew Lloyd Webber.

More used to performing magic than most, JK Rowling, author of the renowned Harry Potter series, has announced the publication of a new book, The Ickabog, during lockdown.

During Charles Hill’s career he has recovered works from Munch’s The Scream to Vermeer’s Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid. As one of the country’s most respected art detectives, he is particularly dismayed by the fact that in there remain 80,000 unrecovered pieces in the UK over the past 30 years.

At the beginning of 2020, it seemed that the Southbank Centre had a promising year ahead. An estimated 3,500 events were planned, and the centre had hoped to build upon their already impressive yearly visitor numbers. As the impact of Covid-19 is increasingly clear, the centre is now attempting to plan for the future.

At the turn of the millennium, Amy Herman was working on Fifth Avenue as the Frick’s head of education. At the time, recent research conducted by Yale University had indicated that encouraging doctors to analyse works of art could serve to improve their diagnostic skills. Some two decades later, Herman’s “The Art of Perception” seminar is used by doctors, FBI officers and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies alike.

While quarantine is being lifted - or eased - country-by-country in places like Europe, Asia and North America, in the Southern Hemisphere, Covid-19 appears only to be getting started.